Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Doggie goggles
Mush together “dog” and “goggles” and you get Doggles, the brand name for a line of protective eyewear for dogs.
Sure, donning a pair of Doggles would make a dog fit right in at the Electric Daisy Carnival. But the company’s Margarita Garcia said Doggles also offer 100-percent protection from harmful ultraviolet rays and protects a dog’s eyes from the sun, dust, thorns and water reflections.
So, “they’re not just fashion,” she said. “They’re eye protection.”
Chickens uncooped
SuperZoo displayed goodies for species beyond dogs and cats. ChickenGuard was promoting its automatic chicken coop door opener, which opens and closes chicken coop doors at preset times to help keep the birds safe from raccoons and other predators.
The device is intended to make chicken owners’ life a bit easier, company representative Nick Mecham said. “The reason people have it is they don’t want to be up at 5 in the morning opening the door.”
Couldn’t you just make the chickens wait a few more hours? “You can, but it’s not very nice to the chickens,” Mecham said. “They want to be outside.”
“Owning chickens is a lifestyle choice,” Mecham said, “and this is something that really helps them enjoy that lifestyle.”
Dog washing made simple
Some dogs love baths, others loathe them. For both groups, but especially for the latter, the Aquapaw pet bathing tool can make baths less stressful.
Tom Zipprian, Aquapaw’s director of product, says the device — which was birthed in a Kickstarter campaign — connects by hose to an outdoor spigot or bathroom shower head. With a one-size-fits-all plastic half-mitt attached to the palm of one hand, the pet owner can steady and comfort the dog with one hand while delivering water to the animal with the other simply by pressing a button on the palm fixture.
“It takes a lot of the stress out,” Zipprian says. “You never have enough hands when bathing a dog.”
Another touch: An optional Slow Treater, a nubbed device the owner can fill with peanut butter or another treat and affix to the tub wall to keep the dog otherwise engaged during a bath.
Golden Knights pet duds
Your dog can look just like Bark-Andre Furry with Vegas Golden Knights-branded apparel — including doggie jerseys — from Pets First.
Sales executive Shelly Kabak said Las Vegas’ first professional sports team made a mark among hockey fans and their pets all season, not just for the records the team set but also for its striking logo. He expects strong demand for the team’s branded pet apparel to continue.
The company’s products are sold at McCarran International Airport and T-Mobile Arena, Kabak added. “So we have pretty big distribution with regard to the Golden Knights in Vegas.”